L  r  a. 


1630.7 
Uc-133 
I  c .3 


* 


I  T'H'I  (o^-l 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


URBANA,  OCTOBER,  1909 

•  • 

•  •  • 

•  •  • 

*•  *  * 

CIRCULAR #  WV  .1 03 

•  •  •  _ 


•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  •• 

•  •  •  •. 


FEEDING  T'R-E'-F.IG 

*••••_•  .  - 

By  Wm.  Dietrich,  Assistant  Chief  ifr’&Wfte,  Hus*t>jfncTry 


INTRODUCTION 


In  1904  an  investigation  was  started,  the  purpose  of  which 
was  to  develop  a  new  feeding  standard  for  swine.  Or,  to  put  the 
practice  of  swine  feeding  upon  a  fundamental  basis  and  into  such 
form  that  anybody  who  can  follow  instructions  may  get  large  and 
economical  gains. 

In  December,  1908,  Circular  No.  126,  entitled  “Food  Require¬ 
ments  of  Growing  and  Fattening  Swine,”  was  published.  This 
gave  some  of  the  principal  facts  deduced  from  the  data  up  to  that 
time.  Since  then  the  work  has  continued  at  a  more  rapid  rate 
than  previously  but  has  not  yet  been  completed.  Up  to  the  prast. 
ent  time  thirteen  experiments  in  all  have  been  conducted  invcffv-* 
ing  the  use  of  618  pigs,  all  of  which  were  bred  and  raised  ujjon* 
the  University  farm.  .....  • 

The  object  of  this  circular  is  two-fold  as  follows:  tFjjisVjJoV 
give  some  of  the  principal  facts  that  have  been  determii\^if;siuj^.*. 
the  publication  of  Circular  No.  126;  second,  to  outline  rf!*$.ethgtf *• 
for  calculating  rations  according  to  the  standard  herein  stfr  .forth. 

This  circular  may  be  considered  a  supplement  to  ;ihe  one..# 
above  mentioned  and  since  the  work  undertaken  by  this  Setles  bi  *• 


•  •  •  •  * 
•  •  • 
•  • 


TV 


_ _ L 


0  «f  n 


2 


experiments  has  not  yet  been  completed  the  data  presented  are 
not  to  be  considered  final.  While  the  conclusions  arrived  at  are 
thought  to  be  approximately  correct,  still  they  are  subject  to 
modification  by  subsequent  experiments. 

ADDITIONAL  FACTS 

Water 

At  the  time  Circular  No.  126  was  published  experiments  were 
in  progress  to  determine  more  definitely  the  amount  of  water 
required  by  pigs  for  maximum  and  most  economical  gains.  The 
above  mentioned  circular  specifies  that  with  the  system  of  feed¬ 
ing  discussed  therein  this  quantity  is  represented  in  general  by  a 
curve  starting  at  12  pounds,  dvily  per  hundred  pounds  live  weight 
with  pigs  two  monthg.tfic&Vfirich  is  reduced  gradually  to  4  pounds 
daily,  for  pigs  eighteenths  old  and  in  prime  condition  for  mar¬ 
ket.  Later  experinfents»\a$  nearly  as  it  is  possible  to  determine 
•  •  •#••••* 

at  this  tijne#,Hi&ve  vqrifijfed,  .Vftis  curve.  The  work  thus  far,  how- 
ever,.*iia*s  \be’en  sdm^wfeat  handicapped  by  other  undetermined 
factors,  ^nd  willdiaCv^e  to  be  carried  still  further  for  more  exact 
data. 

In  the  present  light  of  the  investigation  the  total  quantity  of 
water  fed  seems  to  be  of  greater  importance  than  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  fed.  The  latter  consideration,  however,  has  not  thui 
far  been  so  thoroly  studied.  In  general  all  the  water  is  given  with 
the  feeds  in  the  form  of  a  slop  but  a  limited  amount  of  recent 
data  seem  to  show  that,  in  so  far  as  the  water  is  considered  in  it¬ 
self,  it  makes  some  difference  as  to  how  it  is  fed  as  well  as  the  us' 
of  the  right  quantity.  The  best  results  have  been  obtained  by 
feeding  the  bulk  of  the  water  after  the  rest  of  the  feed  has  been 
eaten,  using  enough  water  to  wet  the  dry  feeds  and  enough  feed 
in  the  water  to  make  it  palatable.  During  the  hottest  weather, 
however,  it  seems  to  be  necessary  to  add  a  little  more  w^ater  to 
the  dry  feed.  But  the  manner  in  which  water  is  used  in  a  ration 
‘Tugy  exert  considerable  influence  in  other  directions,  as  for  in- 

•  •stance  the  distribution  of  the  other  nutrients,  the  amount  of  ex¬ 
ercise  the  pigs  get,  etc. 

..Va  By  giving  the  pigs  dry  feed  or  a  thick  slop  and  then  free 

•  •  •  • • • 

*.^Cce^s;t©  water  they  did  not  do  as  well  as  in  cases  where  the 
V.gLbo vo Specified  quantity  of  water  was  mixed  with  all  the  dry  feeds 

*  in  the  f&rm  of  a  slop.  The  former  method,  however,  produced 

•  •  *  « 

better’results  in  summer  than  in  winter  but  was  also  comparatively 

*  4rfeffee’tive  during  the  hot  weather.  This  which  is  also  borne  out 

*  •  . 

tb£*data  when  compared  with  the  water  curve  indicates  that 

.  *  • 


3 


17&  jo,  7 

c  •  3 

in  winter  the  pig  will  not  drink  enough  and,  that  during  th<»  hot 
weather  of  summer  he  will  drink  too  much  when  he  is  given  free 
access  to  water.  The  requirement  of  water  is  given  on  page  10. 

Exercise 

A  fact  that  has  recently  been  determined  indicates  that  the 
iniiuence  of  exercise  upon  the  functional  activities  of  a  pig  is  an 
important  factor.  Hence  the  lack  of  exercise  is  a  handicap 
to  the  fall  pig  because  during  the  winter  on  account  of  cold 
weather  not  so  much  exercise  is  usually  taken  as  in  the  summer, 
except  during  very  hot  periods.  For  maximum  and  most  econom¬ 
ical  production  it  seems  absolutely  necessary  for  the  young  and 
growing  pig  to  have  an  abundance  of  exercise.  Its  chief  value 
seems  to  be  in  the  influence  it  exerts  upon  the  respiratory  and 
digestive  functions. 

If  pigs  are  changed  from  lots  where  they  have  had  consider¬ 
able  exercise  to  lots  where  they  do  not  have  so  much  their  feed 
must  be  correspondingly  reduced.  Hence  they  will  also  make 
smaller  and  usually  more  expensive  gains.  If  the  weather  con¬ 
ditions  are  such,  as  for  instance  when  it  is  very  cold,  that  the  pig 
does  not  take  the  usual  amount  of  exercise  the  ration  should  also 
be  reduced  correspondingly.  Other  conditions  of  environment 
may  also  necessitate  changes  in  rations. 

Changes  in  Rations 

■  c 

Changes  like  those  above  mentioned  must  necessarily  be  more 
or  less  abrupt.  Otherwise  the  experimental  data  show  that,  in 
general,  when  changes  of  more  than  a  very  minor  nature  are  to 
be  made  in  rations  they  should  be  made  gradually,  both  in  the 
feeds  used  and  in  the  total  quantity  of  digestible  nutrients  con¬ 
tained  therein.  It  takes  time  for  a  pig  to  become  accustomed  to 
changes  so  that  he  will  eat,  digest  and  assimilate  the  new  ration 
as  well  as  the  old  one,  hence  the  more  gradually  such  changes 
are  made  the  better  will  be  the  results  produced. 

Pasture 

• 

The  experiments  of  this  series  prior  to  1900  were  conducted 
in  small  dry  lots  (4x5  rods).  Those  of  1909  and  thereafter  were 
started  in  larger  lots,  the  object  of  which  was  to  supply  the  re¬ 
quired  amount  of  exercise.  Later  in  the  experiment  the  pigs 
were  moved  to  the  old  lots  to  make  room  for  younger  pigs  in  the 
new  lots.  These  (new)  lots  were  built  in  a  place  where  there  was 


ILLINOIS  STATE  LIBRARY 


4 


an  abundance  of  bluegrass  as  well  as  some  rye  during  the  early 
part  of  the  season.  The  pigs  of  the  first  experiment  in  these  new 
lots  were  fed  in  accordance  with  the  standard  evolved  from  data 
collected  in  the  previous  experiments  where  they  were  fed  in  the 
dry  lot.  The  results  from  this  feeding  on  pasture  indicate  that 
pigs  can  utilize  to  better  advantage  the  same  quantities  of  nutri¬ 
ents,  in  addition  to  the  grass,  than  were  fed  in  the  dry  lot  experi¬ 
ments.  It  is  believed  that  in  grazing  the  pigs  get  the  needed  ex¬ 
ercise  which  stimulates  the  functions  of  respiration,  digestion  and 
metabolism,  thus  enabling  them  to  utilize  larger  quantities  of  feed 
to  better  advantage.  That  is,  they  will  make  larger  and  more 
economical  gains  from  a  given  quantity  of  feed,  grain  and  pasture 
combined,  when  they  have  exercise  than  when  they  have  no  ex¬ 
ercise. 

EXPLANATORY  NOTES 

Before  entering  upon  the  subject  matter  proper  of  the  sec¬ 
ond  part  of  this  discussion,  it  is  deemed  advisable  to  give  defini¬ 
tions  and  brief  discussions  of  some  of  the  terms  used  herein  which 
may  not  be  familiar  to  all. 

Nutrients  are  the  ingredients  or  compounds  of  a  feed  or  of 
feeds  such  as  may  be  used  by  the  animal,  as  for  instance,  protein, 
carbohydrate,  and  ether  extract  or  fat. 

Digestible  nutrients  are  those  portions  of  the  nutrients  that 
are  absorbed  from  the  alimentary  tract  and  not  passed  out  in 
the  feces. 

By  coefficient  of  digestibility  is  meant  the  percent  of  a  nutrient 
that  is  digested.  The  total  quantity  eaten  minus  that  appearing 
in  the  feces  divided  by  the  total  quantity  gives  the  coefficient 
of  digestibility  or  the  percent  digested. 

Proteins  in  general  are  the  nitrogenous  compounds  that  are 
used  by  the  animal  body  for  the  production  of  the  lean  meat  or 
muscle  tissue,  and,  to  a  lesser  extent,  bone  tissue  of  the  body. 
Bones,  as  is  well  known,  also  contain  a  large  amount  of  mineral 
matter.  Feeds  that  contain  a  considerable  quantity  of  protein 
are  called  nitrogenous  feeds.-  It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
that  nitrogenous  feeds  in  general  also  contain  more  or  less  of  the 
other  nutrients. 

For  a  thoro  understanding  of  the  term  protein  a  further  ex¬ 
emplification  of  the  above  definition  is  necessary.  Total  nitrogen 
compounds  (Nx6i)are  called  crude  protein.  This  includes  all 
the  nitrogen  compounds  of  feeds.  Sometimes  these  are  erron- 


5 


eously  called,  for  the  sake  of  brevity,  simply  protein.  True 
protein,  or  what  is  correctly  meant  when  the  word  protein  is  used 
alone,  includes  only  those  nitrogenous  compounds  that  may  be 
used  by  the  animal  body  to  be  built  up  into  lean  meat  or  muscle 
tissue  of  the  body  and  otherwise  to  supply  the  protein 
metabolism.  Subtracting  the  true  protein  or  protein  from  the 
crude  protein  there  is  left  what  is  called  non-protein.  This  is 
also  a  nitrogenous  compound  but  cannot  be  used  by  the  animal 
body  to  supply  protein  metabolism  or  the  purposes  for  which  true 
protein  is  used.  Protein  is  present  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in 
most  all  feeds  but  is  found  most  abundantly  in  nitrogenous  feeds. 
They  are  called  nitrogenous  because  nitrogen  is  the  distinguish¬ 
ing  element  of  protein. 

Metabolism  means  the  processes  involved  in  the  changes  that 
food  substances  undergo  in  the  animal  body  after  they  are  digest¬ 
ed  and  taken  into  the  system.  This  is  in  part  comparable  to  what  is 
meant  by  assimilation. 

Carbohydrate  nutrients  are  those  used  by  the  animal  body 
first  for  the  production  of  energy;  second,  (during  cold  seasons  or  in 
cold  climates)  for  the  production  of  heat;  and  third,  for  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  fat.  This  substance  is  found  in  most  feeds  but  occurs 
in  largest  quantities  in  those  classified  as  carbonaceous. 

The  nutrient  known  as  fat  or  ether  extract  is  found  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  in  all  feeds.  These  compounds  are  used  by 
the  animal  body  for  the  same  purposes  as  carbohydrate  nutrients. 

The  mineral  nutrients  are  such  substances  as  common  salt, 
lime,  potash,  the  phosphates,  etc.  These  are  necessary  for  the 
construction  of  bone  as  well  as  for  the  proper  working  of  the 
other  functions  of  the  animal  body. 

There  are  two  general  classes  of  feeds,  namely,  concentrates 
and  roughages.  Concentrates  are  feeds  that  contain  a  compara¬ 
tively  large  percent  of  digestible  nutrients  and  a  comparatively 
small  percent  of  undigestible  material,  or  in  other  words,  are  the 
feeds  that  are  not  bulky.  Roughages  or  bulky  feeds  are  the  op¬ 
posite  of  concentrates;  those  containing  relatively  large  propor¬ 
tions  of  undigestible  material.  The  pig  is  an  animal  primarily 
adapted  to  the  use  of  concentrates. 

If  too  much  concentrated  feed  and  especially  protein  or  crude 
protein  is  eaten  the  factor  of  ivaste  is  set  up  which  makes  feeding 
much  more  unprofitable.  This  is  defined  as  follows:  When  a 
pig  is  fed  more  than  a  certain  quantity  of  nutrients  and  especially 
protein  he  does  not  use  the  excess  over  and  above  this  quantity  as 


6 


economically  for  producing  gains  in  live  weight  as  when  fed  the 
quantity  below  this  point.  The  portion  lost  on  account  of  this 
less  economical  use  is  what  is  here  termed  the  factor  of  waste. 
When  the  animal  is  once  put  under  such  conditions  this  habit  of 
wasting  apparently  is  more  or  less  permanently  established.  In 
Circular  No.  126  this  was  called  the  factor  of  protein  waste  but 
after  re-considering  all  of  the  original  data  in  detail  together  with 
the  new  data,  it  is  thought  to  be  more  nearly  correct  to  call  it 
simply  the  factor  of  waste.  However,  the  protein  part  of  the 
ration  seems  to  be  the  principal  consideration  in  this  connection, 
but  the  other  nutrients  may  enter  into  this  factor. 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  FEEDS 

A  few  of  the  most  common  swine  feeds  are  given  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  classification.  The  digestible  nutrients  given  for  these 
were  obtained  from  various  sources;  some  from  the  analyses  of 
this  station,  some  from  the  work  of  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  some  from  the  general  feeding  tables'  such  as  given  in 
“Feeds  and  Feeding”  by  Henry.  In  these  tables,  however,  water 

Carbonaceous  Concentrates 


Dry  Feeds 


Digestible  Nutrients  per  100  pounds 

Water 

Cr.  Pro. 

Carbo. 

E.  E. 

Min.  Mat 

Corn . 

13.0 

7.0 

66.0 

3.0 

1.4 

Dye . 

11.6 

8.1 

69.7 

1.3 

1.9 

Barley  . 

10.9 

8.3 

64.8 

1.6 

2.6 

Wheat  . . 

10.5 

8.9 

69.2 

1.7 

1.8 

Oats . 

11.0 

8.4 

48.3 

4.2 

3.0 

Kafir  corn . 

9.3 

7.8 

57.1 

2.7 

1 .5 

Rice . 

12.4 

4.8 

72.2 

.3 

.4 

Germ  meal . 

8.1 

9.0 

61.2 

6.2 

1.3 

Hominy  chops . 

11.1 

7.5 

55.2 

6.8 

2.5 

Green  Feeds* 


Potatoes . 

78.9 

.5 

16.4 

.1 

1.0 

Artichokes . 

79.5 

2.0 

16.8 

o 

1.0 

Sugar  beets  . 

86.5 

1.1 

10.2 

.1 

.9 

Mangel  wurzels . 

90.9 

.1 

5.7 

.11 

1.1 

Turnips . 

90.5 

.2 

6.5 

.1 

.8 

Pumpkin  (field) . 

90.9 

1.0 

5.8 

.3 

.5 

*Under  certain  conditions  these  may  become  roughages. 


I 

Nitrogenous  Concentrates 


Dry  Feeds 


Digestible  Nutrients  per  100  pounds 


Water 

Cr.  Pro. 

Carbo. 

E.  E. 

Min.  Mat. 

Soy  bean  (grain) . 

10.8 

29.6 

22.3 

14.4 

4.7 

Canada  field  pea  (grain) . 

10.5 

18.0 

59.8 

.6 

2.6 

Cow  pea  (grain) . 

14.8 

18.3 

54.2 

1.1 

3.4 

Tankage . 

7. 

48.0 

...... 

12.0 

11.7 

Meat  scrap . 

10.7 

66.2 

.3 

13.7 

4.1 

Blood  meal . 

8.5 

52.3 

2.5 

4  7 

Oil  meal  O.  P . 

9.2 

27.5 

32.8 

7.1 

5.7 

Oil  meal  N.  P  . 

10.1 

29.3 

38.7 

2.9 

5.8 

Gluten  meal . 

8.2 

21.6 

43.0 

11.9 

.9 

Dark  feeding  flour . 

9.7 

13.5 

61.3 

2.0 

4.3 

Red  dog  flour . 

12.0 

14.0 

66.0 

2.0 

3.3 

Wheat  middlings . 

12.1 

11.4 

54.5 

3.4 

3.3 

Wheat  shorts . 

11.8 

12.2 

50.0 

3.8 

4.6 

Buckwheat  middlings . 

13.2 

22.0 

33.4 

5.4 

4.8 

Buckwheat  shorts . 

11.1 

21.1 

33,5 

5.5 

5.1 

Liquid  Feeds* 


Skim  milk .  . 

90.6 

2.9 

5.2 

.3 

Buttermilk  . 

90.1 

3.9 

4.0 

1.1 

Nitrogenous  Roughages 


Dry  Feeds 


Alfalfa  hay . 

8.4 

7.0 

37.3 

1.4 

7.4 

Clover  hay  (red) . 

15.3 

5.4 

38.2 

1.8 

6.2 

Wheat  bran . 

11.9 

10.2 

41.2 

2.9 

• 

5.8 

Green  Feeds 

Digestible  Nutrients  per  100  pounds 

Water 

• 

Cr.  Pro. 

Carbo. 

E.  E. 

Min.  Mat. 

Alfalfa  . 

71.8 

3.0 

11.2 

.4 

2.7 

Clover  (red) . 

70.8 

2.2 

14.8 

.7 

2.1 

Cow  pea  . 

83.6 

1.8 

8.7 

.2 

1.7 

Soy  bean . 

75.1 

3.2 

11.0 

.5 

2.6 

Vetch . 

Clovers  other  than  red . 

•Under  certain  conditions  these  may  become  roughages. 


8 


Carbonaceous  Roughages 

Green  Feeds 


Rape . 

84.5 

2.1 

34.4 

1.7 

— 

2.0 

Blue-grass  . 

65.1 

3.0 

19.8 

.8 

2.8 

Oat  fodder . 

62.2 

2.6 

18.9 

1.0 

2.5 

Rye  fodder* . . 

76.6 

2.1 

14.1 

.4 

1.8 

and  mineral  matter  are  not  considered  as  digestible  nutrients. 
According  to  the  data  of  this  series  of  experiments  it  seems  advis¬ 
able  to  also  classify  water  as  a  nutrient  and  assume,  since  the 
pig  requires  more  than  is  present  in  ordinary  feed  stuffs,  that  the 
entire  quantity  is  digestible.  Hence  in  the  above  table  the 
entire  water  content  is  given  under  the  head  of  digestible  nutri¬ 
ents.  The  mineral  matter,  included  in  the  table  under  this  head, 
is  also  the  total  ash  content  of  the  feeds  as  obtained  from  compo¬ 
sition  tables. 

The  green  feeds  that  are  specified  under  the  head  of  carbo¬ 
naceous  concentrates  contain  a  great  deal  of  water.  It  is  quite 
evident  that  if  these  were  fed  in  large  quantities  so  that  the  pig 
were  compelled  to  take  more  water  than  his  system  demands 
these  feeds  would  become  roughages  under  such  conditions  in  the 
sense  that  the  pig  would  be  compelled  to  take  more  bulk  in  the 
form  of  water  than  would  normally  go  with  the  proper  quantity 
of  nutrients  other  than  water.  This  would  have  a  tendency  to 
distend  the  capacity  of  his  digestive  apparatus.  An  excess  of 
water,  however,  would  have  detrimental  effects  upon  the  pig. 

The  liquid  feeds  specified  under  the  head  of  nitrogenous  con¬ 
centrates  may  likewise  be  considered  either  as  concentrates  or 
roughages,  the  same  as  the  green  feeds  given  under  the  head  of 
carbonaceous  concentrates. 

The  nitrogenous  roughages  are  given  under  two  subject 
heads,  dry  feeds  and  green  feeds.  The  dry  feeds  are  roughages 
because  of  the  large  quantity  of  crude  fiber  they  contain.  The 
green  feeds  also  contain  the  crude  fiber  but  relatively  less  than 
the  dry  feeds  because  they  at  the  same  time  contain  a  large  quan¬ 
tity  of  water.  This  water  plays  an  important  part  in  the  met¬ 
abolism  and  may  take  the  place  of  water  that  is  fed  as  such  in 
connection  with  dry  feeds. 


*Atthe  Kentucky  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  it  was  found  that  young  rye  plants  con¬ 
tain  5.73  percent  of  protein  which  would  throw  rye  fodder  into  the  class  of  nitrogenous  rough- 
ages. 


9 


The  carbonaceous  roughages  are  all  in  the  form  of  green 
feeds  and  may  be  considered  in  the  same  light  as  far  as  water  is 
concerned  as  the  green  feeds  under  the  head  of  nitrogenous 
roughages. 


SELECTION  OF  FEEDS 

Feeds  should  be  selected  primarily  with  the  end  in  view  of 
furnishing  the  proper  quantity  of  digestible  nutrients  in  a  palat¬ 
able  form  as  follows:  Water,  protein,  carbohydrate,  ether  ex¬ 
tract,  mineral  matter  and  also  bulk.  While  some  feeds  may  have 
values  other  than  that  of  their  content  of  digestible  nutrients  it 
is  considered  that  if  a  pig  is  properly  fed  these  become  of  minor 
importance.  Home  grown  feeds  should  be  used  where  possible, 
but  where  these  are  not  available  commercial  feeds  may  be  sub¬ 
stituted.  While  many  of  the  commercial  feeds  are  all  right  and 
as  good  perhaps  as  those  that  may  be  grown  on  the  farm  the  pro¬ 
fit  in  general  is  greater  from  home  grown  feeds.  Furthermore 
the  supply  of  commercial  feeds  is  limited  and  available  only  to  a 
comparatively  small  number  of  feeders. 

The  carbonaceous  feeds  in  general  must  be  used  to  make  up 
the  carbohydrate  part  of  the  ration  and  the  nitrogenous  feeds  to 
furnish  the  bulk  of  the  protein.  All  carbonaceous  feeds  contain 
some  protein  and  most  all  nitrogenous  feeds  contain  some  carbo¬ 
hydrate;  consequently  in  the  selection  of  the  feeds  for  a  ration 
they  should  be  combined  in  such  quantities  that  the  proper  amount 
of  digestible  nutrients  is  supplied. 

Water  is  found  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  all  feeds.  Those 
classified  as  dry  feeds  usually  contain  only  a  small  quantity,  about 
8  to  18  percent;  other  feeds  such  as  liquid  feeds  and  succulent 
feeds  contain  as  high  as  85  to  90  percent  of  water.  Since,  how¬ 
ever,  these  sources  of  water,  except  that  of  the  liquid  feeds,  are 
not  sufficient  the  pigs  must  be  fed  water  directly  as  such.  In 
order  to  get  best  results  it  is  undoubtedly  necessary,  as  shown  by 
the  experimental  data,  to  feed  the  right  quantity  of  water  as  well 
as  the  right  quantity  of  the  other  nutrients,  and  as  stated  in  Cir¬ 
cular  No.  126,  another  one  of  the  principal  reasons  that  winter 
feeding  of  pigs  has  not  been  more  successful  is  because  an  insuf¬ 
ficient  amount  of  water  was  used.  During  the  winter  season  in 
cold  climates  where  the  pig  is  given  dry  feed  and  free  access  to 
water  he  will  apparently  not  drink  enough  for  maximum  and 
most  economical  production. 


10 


A  pig  under  five  or  six  months  of  age  apparently  cannot  as¬ 
similate  as  much  as  he  can  digest;  consequently  best  results  are 
obtained  if  he  is  not  fed  more  than  he  can  finally  use  for  the  con¬ 
struction  of  body  tissue  and  for  necessary  energy  and  heat  pro¬ 
duction.  In  order  to  limit  the  nutrients  to  the  amount  that  the 
pig  can  most  profitably  use,  roughages  may  be  introduced  into 
the  ration  at  this  time.  These  serve  a  double  purpose:  First, 
tney  satisfy  the  appetite  of  the  pig,  and  second,  they  have  a  tend¬ 
ency  to  increase  his  capacity  so  that  later  in  life  when  he  other¬ 
wise  would  not  eat  as  much  as  he  could  profitably  use,  he  will  be 
able  to  consume  a  larger  quantity  of  nutrients.  Roughages  may 
also  be  used  in  considerable  quantities  by  pigs  that  are  simply  be¬ 
ing  maintained. 

METHOD  OF  CALCULATING  RATIONS 

According  to  the  method  of  feeding  outlined  herein  the  pig  is 
fed  certain  definite  quantities  of  digestible  nutrients  daily  per 
hundred  pounds  live  weight.  Another  consideration,  however, 
which  is  necessary  is  the  relation  between  concentrates  and  rough- 
ages  of  the  ration.  In  the  following  cuts  the  horizontal  spaces, 
shown  by  the  vertical  lines,  indicate  time  in  weeks  and  months. 
The  horizontal  lines  give  the  value  of  the  curves  in  pounds. 


Water 


The  above  cut  shows  the  total  amount  of  water  required  by 
the  growing  and  fattening  pig  to  be  as  follows:  Starting  at  two 
months  of  age  he  should  have  12  pounds  of  wTater  daily  per  hun¬ 
dred  pounds  live  weight.  This  is  gradually  reduced  during  the 
following  six  months  or  twenty-six  wTeeks  to  4  pounds.  At  this 
time  the  pig  should  be  in  prime  condition  for  market.  As  a  means 


11 


of  determining  the  amount  of  water  indicated  by  the  curve  at  the 
close  of  each  week  the  following  is  suggested:  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  curve  drops  from  12  pounds  to  10.5  pounds  in  five  weeks’ 
time.  This  is  a  reduction  of  .3  pound  for  each  week.  Then,  if 
12  pounds  of  water  is  used  at  the  start,  11.7  pounds  should  be 
used  at  the  close  of  the  first  week,  11.4  at  the  close  of  the  second 
week,  11.1  at  the  close  of  the  third  week,  etc.  A  similar  method 
may  also  be  used  for  the  following  curves. 

Crude  Protein 


The  above  cut  shows  the  amount  of  digestible  crude  protein 
required  by  the  pig  daily  per  100  pounds  live  weight,  according 
to  the  data  determined,  for  maximum  and  most  economical  pro¬ 
duction.  The  curve  starts  at  .6  pound  at  the  beginning  of  the  ex¬ 
periment  and  rises  to  .7  during  the  first  seven  weeks.  Follow¬ 
ing  this  it  declines  to  .6  during  four  weeks’  time,  then  maintains 
a  level  of  .65  for  the  next  seven  weeks.  After  this  the  greater 
part  of  the  nitrogenous  feeds  are  removed  from  the  ration  during 
four  weeks’  time.  Some  protein,  however,  is  fed  to  the  close  as 
pigs  will  do  better  if  they  have  more  protein  than  is  found  in 
corn. 

As  stated  in  the  introduction,  the  position  of  this  curve  as 
well  as  the  others  may  be  modified  by  subsequent  investigation, 
but  the  quantities  of  protein  specified  above  have  thus  far  pro¬ 
duced  the  best  results.  This,  however,  should  not  be  taken  as 
absolute  but  should  be  modified  to  suit  the  length  of  the  feeding 
period.  As  practised  by  the  writer  the  pig  is  fed  for  six  months, 
from  3  to  9  months  of  age,  according  to  this  formula.  Thus  the  pig 
is  8  months  old  at  the  close  of  the  feeding  period.  With  this  prac¬ 
tice  the  last  8  weeks  is  considered  as  the  fattening  period  and  the 
first  18  weeks  the  growing  period.  This  growing  period  is  divid¬ 
ed  in  the  middle  by  a  period  of  four  weeks  during  which  the  pro¬ 
tein  curve  drops  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  the  factor  of  waste, 
as  stated  in  Circular  No.  126.  With  a  short  growing  period  a 
continuous  increase  during  the  period  would  be  all  right  but  when 
a  comparatively  large  quantity  of  protein  is  fed  for  a  consider- 


12 


able  length  of  time  under  practical  conditions  the  factor  of  waste 
apparently  becomes  so  great  that  feeding  becomes  relatively  more 
unprofitable. 

Carbohvdrate 


The  above  cut  shows  the  amount  of  digestible  carbohydrate 
required  by  the  pig  daily  per  100  pounds  live  weight.  It  will  be  no¬ 
ticed  that  starting  with  the  pig  at  two  months  of  age  he  should 
have  2.2  pounds  of  digestible  carbohydrate  daily  per  100  pounds 
live  weight.  After  this  as  indicated  by  the  curve  it  is  gradually 
increased  during  the  following  eighteen  weeks  when  the  curve 
reaches  2.6  pounds.  As  already  stated,  in  this  series  of  exper¬ 
iments  the  pigs  were  usually  started  at  two  months  of  age  and 
fed  until  they  were  eight  months  old  making  a  feeding  period  of 
twenty-six  weeks.  The  carbohydrate  curve,  as  above  given  ex¬ 
tends  over  only  the  first  eighteen  weeks  of  the  experiment.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  last  eight  weeks  the  pigs  were  put  on  full  feed  on  a  ra¬ 
tion  that  was  primarily  carbonaceous  in  nature. 

The  latest  data  of  this  series  of  experiments  seem  to  indicate 
that  this  curve  might  be  raised  to  good  advantage,  starting  at  2.4 
and  ending  at  2.8  pounds. 

Ether  Extract  or  Fat 

As  specified  in  Circular  No.  126,  pigs  will  apparently  make 
larger  gains  if  they  are  given  a  little  more  fat  in  their  ration 
than  is  ordinarily  present  in  the  common  feeds  of  the  farm.  The 
ether  extract  curve  presented  in  the  above  mentioned  circular  is 
not  repeated  here  because  not  many  ether  extract  feeds  are  avail¬ 
able,  hence  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  control  this  factor.  Soy 
beans  are  rich  in  this  ingredient  and  if  the  protein  of  the  ration 
is  obtained  from  this  source  the  ration  will  also  be  better  on  ac¬ 
count  of  its  greater  fat  content.  There  seems  to  be  no  danger  of 
getting  too  much  fat  or  ether  extract  from  this  source. 


13 


Mineral  Matter 

All  feeds  contain  some  mineral  matter;  some  feeds  contain  a 
considerable  quantity,  other  feeds  a  very  small  quantity.  Differ¬ 
ent  soils  contain  different  quantities  of  mineral  matter,  and  veg¬ 
etation  grown  in  these  soils  will  to  some  extent  have  varying 
quantities  of  mineral  matter  contained  in  it  in  accordance  with 
the  soil  upon  which  it  grows.  Ground  water  also  contains  more 
or  less  mineral  matter  in  accordance  with  the  quantities  in  the 
soil. 

Since  the  amount  of  mineral  matter  present  in  the  soil,  in 

the  water,  in  the  vegetation  and  in  different  feeds  is  so  decidedly 

variable,  and  since  there  is  no  standard  for  the  requirement  of 

* 

mineral  nutrients  by  the  pig,  it  seems  necessary  in  order  to  get 
best  results  in  feeding  to  give  the  pig  free  access  to  a  variety  of 
mineral  substances  so  that  he  can  supply,  according  to  the  dic¬ 
tates  of  his  appetite,  whatever  is  deficient  by  way  of  mineral 
substances  in  his  feed.  In  order  to  supply  these  mineral  sub¬ 
stances  the  results  on  the  station  farm  seem  to  be  quite  satisfac¬ 
tory  if  the  pig  is  given  free  access  to  salt,  charcoal,  air- slaked 
lime,  bone  meal,  wood  ashes,  clean  soil  and  soft  coal  cinders. 
These,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  two,  are  kept  in  different 
compartments  of  a  trough  before  the  pigs  at  all  times. 

Method  of  Procedure 

As  an  example  for  calculating  a  ration  for  a  bunch  of  pigs, 
the  following  may  be  taken:  Suppose  that  a  bunch  of  pigs  is  two 
months  old  and  weighs  685  pounds.  The  curves  in  the  above  cuts 
show  that  at  this  time  the  pigs  require  daily  per  hundred  pounds 
live  weight  12  pounds  of  water,  .6  pound  of  digestible  crude  protein 
and  2.2  pounds  of  digestible  carbohydrate.  Multiplying  these 
quantities  respectively  by  the  total  live  weight,  namely,  685  pounds 
and  pointing  off  to  the  proper  figure  we  find  that  this  bunch  of 
pigs  will  require  a  total  of  82.2  pounds  of  water,  4.11  pounds  of 
digestible  crude  protein  and  15.07  pounds  of  digestible  carbohy¬ 
drate  per  day.  Suppose  that  alfalfa,  corn,  barley,  skim  milk,  soy 
beans  and  water  are  to  be  used  to  make  up  this  ration.  To  facili¬ 
tate  matters  a  table  should  be  constructed  specifying  the  amounts 
of  digestible  nutrients  present  in  these  feeds  from  one  to  nine 
pounds  inclusive  as  follows: 


14 


✓ 


Digestible  Nutrients  Per  Pound  Feed 


Corn 

Barley 

F 

cr 

Wat. 

Pro. 

Car, 

E.  E. 

M.  M. 

Wat. 

Pro. 

Car. 

1 

E.  E. 

M.  M. 

Lb. 

1 

.13 

.07 

.66 

.03 

.01 

.11 

.08 

.65 

.02 

.03 

1 

2 

.26 

.14 

1.32 

.06 

.02 

.22 

.16 

1.30 

.04 

.06 

2 

3 

.39 

.21 

1.98 

.09 

.03 

.33 

.21 

1.95 

.06 

.09 

3 

4 

.52 

.28 

2.61 

.12 

.04 

.44 

.32 

2.60 

.08 

.12 

4 

5 

.65 

.35 

3.30 

.15 

.05 

.55 

.40 

3.25 

.10 

.15 

5 

6 

.78 

.42 

3.96 

.18 

.06 

.66 

.48 

3.90 

.12 

.18 

6 

7 

.91 

.49 

4.62 

.21 

.07 

.77 

.56 

4.55 

.14 

.21 

t 

8 

1.04 

.56 

5.28 

.24 

.08 

.88 

.64 

5.20 

.16 

.24 

8 

9 

1.17 

.63 

5.94 

.27 

.09 

.99 

.72 

5.85 

.18 

.27 

9 

Digestible  Nutrients  Per  Pound  Feed 


Soy  Beans 

Skim  Milk 

Alfalfa 

Lb.  ' 

Wat. 

Pro. 

Car. 

E.E 

M.M. 

Wat 

Pro. 

Car. 

M.M. 

Wat. 

Pro. 

Car. 

E.E. 

M.M. 

Lb. 

1 

.11 

.30 

.22 

.14 

.05 

.91 

.03 

.05 

.01 

.08 

.07 

.37 

.01 

.07 

1 

2 

.22 

.60 

.44 

.28 

.10 

1.82 

.06 

.10 

.02 

.16 

.14 

.74 

.02 

.14 

2 

3 

.33 

.90 

.66 

.42 

.15 

2.73 

.09 

.15 

.03 

.24 

.21 

1.11 

.03 

.21 

3 

4 

.44 

1.20 

.88 

.56 

.20 

3.64 

.12 

.20 

.04 

.32 

.28 

1.48 

.04 

.28 

4 

5 

.55 

1.50 

1.10 

.70 

.25 

4.55 

.15 

.25 

.05 

.40 

.35 

1.85 

.05 

.35 

5 

6 

.  66 

1.80 

1.32 

.84 

.30 

5.46 

.18 

.30 

.06 

.48 

.42 

2.22 

.06 

.42 

6 

7 

.77 

2.10 

1.54 

.98 

.35 

6.37 

.21 

.35 

.07 

.56 

.49 

2.59 

.07 

.49 

7 

8 

.88 

2.40 

1.76 

1.12 

.40 

7.28 

.24 

.40 

.08 

.64 

.56 

2.96 

.08 

.56 

8 

9 

.  99|2 . 70 

1.98 

1.26 

.45 

8.19 

.27 

.45 

.09 

.72 

.63 

3.33 

.09 

.63 

9 

i 

By  the  use  of  this  table  tenths  of  pounds,  unit  numbers  of 
pounds  and  ten  times  unit  numbers  of  pounds  may  be  added  to  the 
ration  by  reading  the  quantities  of  nutrients  correctly  with  respect 
to  the  decimal  point.  To  get  tenths  read  with  the  decimal  point  one 
place  to  the  left  and  for  ten  times  units  numbers  one  place  to  the 
right.  This  table  simplifies  matters  by  eliminating  the  multiplica¬ 
tions  at  each  operation.  The  abbreviations  at  the  heads  of  the  col¬ 
umns  in  the  above  table  stand  for  the  following:  Wat.,  Water;  Pro. , 
Crude  Protein;  Car.,  Carbohydrate;  E.  E.,  Ether  Extract,  and 
M.  M.,  Mineral  Matter. 

Pigs  two  months  old  can  use  but  a  limited  quantity  of  a  rough- 
age  like  alfalfa,  consequently  in  making  up  this  ration  not  much 
can  be  used  at  this  time.  Suppose  that  corn  and  barley  are  to  be 
used  in  the  proportion  of  2  parts  of  corn  to  1  part  of  barley  and 
that  but  a  limited  amount  of  skim  milk  is  at  hand.  In  order  to 
make  up  this  ration,  then,  the  following  is  evolved: 


15 


The  total  amount  of  nutrients  required  per  day  as  shown 
above  for  the  bunch  of  pigs  weighing  685  pounds  is  as  follow, 

Wat.  Pro.  Car. 

82.2  4.11  15.07 

In  order  to  get  these  quantities  the  following  amounts  of  feeds 
are  necessary.  These  are  obtained  by  first  putting  down  the  de¬ 
sired  amount  of  the  roughage  (alfalfa),  with  its  water,  protein 
and  carbohydrate,  then  the  carbonaceous  concentrate  (corn  and 
barley)  and  the  skim  milk.  Have  enough  of  these  so  that  the 
carbohydrate  when  added  will  be  nearly  equal  to  the  required 
quantity.  Next  list  the  nitrogenous  concentrates  (soy  beans)  in 
sufficient  quantity  to  bring  up  the  protein  as  well  as  the  carbohy¬ 
drate  to  the  required  amount.  If  this  does  not  come  out  right  the 
first  time  it  can  easily  be  adjusted  by  means  of  the  preceding  table. 
When  this  is  done  add  sufficient  water  to  bring  up  this  part  of  the 
ration  to  the  standard. 


Wat. 

Pro. 

Car. 

Alfalfa 

.3  lb.  - 

.024 

.021 

.111 

Corn 

10.0  lb.  = 

1.300 

.700 

6.600 

Corn 

2.0  lb.  = 

.260 

.140 

1.320 

Barley 

6.0  lb.  = 

.660 

.480 

3.900 

Skim  milk 

40.0  lb.  = 

36.400 

1.200 

2.000 

38.644 

2.541 

13.931 

Soy  beans 

5.0  lb.  = 

.550 

1.500 

1.100 

Soy  beans 

.2  lb.  = 

.022 

.060 

.044 

39.216 

4.101 

15.075 

Water 

43.0  lb.  = 

43.0 

82.216 

4.101 

15.075 

The  above  mentioned  quantities  of  feed,  then,  namely: 


Alfalfa 

.3  lb. 

Corn 

12.  lb. 

Barley 

6.  lb. 

Skim  milk 

40.  lb. 

• 

Soy  beans 

5.2  lb. 

Water 

43.  lb. 

should  be  fed  to  these  pigs  for  one  day  when  they  are  two  months 
old.  In  order  to  get  the  increase  specified  by  the  curves  in  the 
above  cuts  an  estimate  must  be  made  as  to  what  the  pigs  will 
weigh  at  the  close  of  the  week.  Suppose  that  it  is  estimated  that 
the  lot  will  gain  65  pounds  during  this  week,  making  its  total  weight 


16 


at  the  close  of  the  week  850  pounds.  This  estimated  live  weight 
should  then  be  multiplied  by  the  quantities  given  by  the  curves  in 
the  above  mentioned  cuts  at  this  time,  which  are  as  follows: 

Wat.  Pro.  Car. 

11.7  .615  2.22 

Multiplying  these  by  the  estimated  live  weight  the  following 
is  obtained  as  the  requirement  of  nutrients  at  the  close  of  this  and 
the  beginning  of  the  following  week: 

Wat.  Pro.  Car. 

99.45  5.2275  18.87 

To  get  these  quantities  take  the  total  amount  of  nutrients 
fed  at  the  beginning  of  the  week  and  add  enough  feeds  so  that  the 
nutrients  of  the  same  will  bring  the  amount  up  to  the  quantity 
stated  above  wThich  is  required  at  the  end  of  the  week.  Proceed 
the  same  as  above,  namely,  add  the  roughage  first,  the  carbonace¬ 
ous  concentrates  next,  then  the  nitrogenous  concentrates  and  last¬ 
ly  the  water.  By  so  doing  the  following  will  be  obtained: 


Wat. 

Pro. 

Car. 

82.216 

4.101 

15.075 

Alfalfa 

.7  lb.  = 

.056 

.049 

.259 

Corn 

3.0  lb.  = 

.390 

.210 

1.980 

Barley 

1.0  lb.  = 

.110 

.080 

.650 

Barley 

.5  lb.  = 

.055 

.040 

.325 

82.827 

4.480 

18.289 

Soy  beans 

2.0  lb.  = 

.220 

.600 

.440 

Soy  beans 

.5  lb.  = 

.055 

.150 

.110 

83.102 

5.230 

18.839 

W  ater 

16.4  lb.  = 

16.4 

99.502 

5.230 

18.839 

These  quantities  of  nutrients  correspond  very  closely  to  those 
above  that  were  calculated  as  the  requirement  of  nutrients  at  this 
time. 

The  above  mentioned  quantities  of  feeds  that  were  used  to  get 
the  additional  nutrients  should  be  added  to  those  fed  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  week  and  the  totals  are  the  quantities  to  be  fed  at  the 
close  of  the  week.  By  adding  these  the  following  are  obtained: 


Alfalfa 

1.0 

Corn 

15.0 

Barley 

7.5 

Skim  milk 

40.0 

Soy  beans 

7.7 

Water 

59.4 

17 


This  is  the  total  quantity  to  be  fed  per  day  at  the  close  of  the 
week.  The  quantity  of  feed  fed  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  then  may 
gradually  be  varied  to  that  fed  on  the  last  day.  Thus  there  will 
be  a  gradual  increase  fed  from^day  to  day. 

To  determine  the  quantity  of  feed  necessary  for  a  bunch  of 
pigs  at  any  time  between  the  ages  of  two  months  and  eight  months 
the  same  method  is  followed  as  above.  The  vertical  lines  in  the 
cuts  indicate  the  age  of  the  pigs  and  stage  of  the  period  of  feed¬ 
ing.  The  point  at  which  these  intersect  with  the  curves  for  the 
various  nutrients  indicates  the  amounts  of  these  in  pounds  as  spe¬ 
cified  by  the  horizontal  lines.  Multiply  these  quantities  by  the 
total  live  weight  and  proceed  as  above. 

As  is  clearly  evident  this  method  of  feeding  is  intended 
for  pigs  that  have  been  well  fed  from  the  time  they  learned  to  eat. 
If  a  feeder  has  a  bunch  of  pigs  that  have  not  been  well  fed  it  may 
be  necessary,  in  order  to  get  best  results,  to  start  back  a  little 
farther  than  at  the  point  in  the  above  cuts  indicated  by  the  age  of 
the  pigs  in  question. 

In  order  to  furnish  variety  and  get  large  and  economical 
gains  as  large  a  number  of  feeds  should  be  used  in  the  ration  as 
possible.  The  greater  the  number  of  feeds  the  better  will  be  the 
ration.  Of  course,  the  greater  the  number  of  the  feeds  the  great¬ 
er  will  be  the  amount  of  work  in  calculating  the  ration.  In  the 
above  calculated  ration  corn  and  barley  are  used  for  the  sake  of 
variety,  both  being  carbonaceous  concentrates.  The  proportion 
of  these  two  feeds  may  be  governed  to  some  extent  by  the 
amounts  available.  Skim  milk  is  likewise  a  feed  of  the  same 
class  as  soy  beans. 

The  alfalfa  is  used  primarily  for  furnishing  bulk.  At  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  period  with  the  pigs  two  months  of  age  they  will 
not  be  able  to  use  a  very  large  quantity  of  this.  As  they  grow, 
however,  during  the  next  two  or  three  months  they  will  be  able 
to  take  more  and  the  quantity  in  the  ration  should  be  increased 
so  that  the  appetite  of  the  pigs  is  nearly  satisfied.  After  four  or 
five  months  of  age  it  will  be  necessary  to  gradually  decrease  the 
alfalfa  in  order  to  make  room  for  the  gradually  increasing  quan¬ 
tity  of  the  protein  and  carbohydrate  nutrients.  The  reduction  in 
the  amount  of  water  will  also  help  to  make  possible  the  increase 
in  protein  and  carbohydrate. 


) 


18 


t 

t  /■ 

METHOD  OF  FEEDING 

The  way  in  which  the  ration  is  fed  to  the  pigs  is  a  matter  of 
considerable  importance.  As  outlined  in  Circular  No.  126,  it  is 
of  primary  importance  that  each  #pig  in  the  lot  should  get  its 
proportionate  amount  of  the  various  food  nutrients,  and  very 
great  harm  results  if  the  nutrients,  and  especially  the  crude  pro¬ 
tein,  are  unequally  distributed  among  the  individuals  of  a  lot. 
For  the  sake  of  equal  distribution  of  this  ingredient  especially,  it 
is  suggested  that  the  grains  used  be  ground  and  mixed  with  the 
milk  and  water,  thus  making  a  slop  of  all  the  ingredients  except 
the  mineral  matter.  A  little  of  the  corn,  however,  may  be  fed 
whole  in  order  to  develop  the  teeth  and  to  accustom  the  pigs  to 
feed  in  this  form  for  purposes  later  in  life  when  it  may  be  advan¬ 
tageous  to  use  feeds  in  this  form. 

The  feeding  trough  should  be  arranged,  either  by  a  swinging 
panel  over  the  trough  or  by  having  it  in  a  separate  feeding  pen  so 
that  the  slop  can  be  poured  into  it  without  being  disturbed  by  the 
pigs.  When  the  slop  is  in  the  trough  and  the  pigs  are  ail  present 
the  panel  over  the  trough  may  be  swung  back  or  the  gate,  which 
should  be  a  wide  one,  may  be  opened  into  the  feeding  pen  so  that  all 
the  pigs  can  come  to  the  trough  at  the  same  time.  Then,  by 
having  pigs  of  equal  size  in  the  lot  and  not  having  too  many  to¬ 
gether,  there  will  result  a  good  distribution  of  the  nutrients  to 
the  different  individuals  of  the  lot. 

If  it  is  impossible  to  have  the  feeds  ground  it  is  still  possible 
to  distribute  the  various  nutrients  fairly  well  as  follows:  If  the 
protein  is  to  be  fed  in  the  form  of  soy  beans  or  peas,  these  may 
be  harvested  and  stored  away  together  with  the  vine.  At  feed¬ 
ing  time  sufficient  may  be  weighed  out  to  furnish  the  proper 
amount  of  protein  and  this  distributed  over  a  large  feeding  floor 
or  on  pasture  where  the  pigs  can  have  free  access  to  it.  While 
they  are  doing  the  hulling  and  grinding,  all  will  have  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  get  their  proportion.  This  also  presupposes  that  pigs 
of  equal  size  and  age  are  being  fed  together  and  that  they  will 
eat  with  approximately  the  same  rapidity.  If  the  protein  is  thus 
distributed,  the  corn  may  be  fed  in  the  form  of  ear  corn  or  shell¬ 
ed  corn.  If  then  the  right  quantity  of  water  is  fed  fairly  good 
results  will  be  possible.  During  the  winter  season,  however, 
when  pigs  will  not  drink  enough  by  such  practice  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  mix  at  least  a  small  quantity  of  meal  with  the  proper  quan¬ 
tity  of  water  to  make  it  palatable.  This  should  then  be  fed  to 
them  in  the  trough. 


/ 


19 


\ 


If  the  alfalfa  above  mentioned  is  fed  in  the  form  of  a  meal, 
it  might  be  mixed  with  the  balance  of  the  feeds  in  the  slop.  But 
this  is  an  expensive  form  in  which  to  feed  alfalfa.  In  the  summer 
time  pigs  may  be  allowed  to  eat  it  from  the  pasture.  In  winter 
the  alfalfa  may  be  chopped  as  fine  as  possible  with  an  ordinary 
fodder  cutter  and  then  mixed  with  a  little  meal  and  sufficient  hot 
water  or  steam  to  thoroly  wet  it.  This  will  be  eaten  very  readily 
if  fed  while  the  pigs  are  hungry.  However,  it  takes  training  to 
accustom  a  pig  to  eat  any  feed.  If  bran  is  used  as  a  roughage  it 
may  be  mixed  into  the  slop. 

As  to  the  number  of  feeds  per  day,  it  is  shown  in  Circular 
No.  126  that  with  the  system  of  feeding  outlined  therein  better 
results  are  possible  when  pigs  are  fed  three  times  per  day,  rather 
than  when  fed  only  twice  per  day.  It  may  be  possible  when  pigs 
get  to  the  age  at  which  they  are  ordinarily  termed  shotes,  and 
get  considerable  of  their  feed  in  the  form  of  green  feeds  from 
pasture,  that  this  may  answer  the  purpose  of  the  noon  feed. 


3  0112  121972571 


Illinois 

State 

Reformatory 

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